Of handlers and Superheroes
by Valuh Montgomery
Summary: "Seriously, I thought you were going to give us a more experienced Baby Sitter, to be honest" Tony said "How old are you?" "Old enough to have a PhD" Mags answered.
1. The new handler

**Pairings: Bruce x OC, Pepper x Tony, Natasha x Clint and Steve x Maria. **

**AN: Hello readers! This is my first story for The Avengers and I am very excited! I haven't written in a long time so please forgive me if my english is a bit (very) rusty, I hope you like it and don't be shy and give me a review, I appreciate all of them because they help me to be a better writer. **

**I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT MAGS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.**

* * *

"Maria, you wanted to speak with me?" A short, dark blonde woman spoke as she walked into Commander Hill's office.

"Yes, make yourself at home" Maria said putting a few papers away, cleaning her desk. "Nobody really knows about this, Mags" The agent paused "I am going for a leave, a month or so and there is a certain team that needs a handler"

"Are you alright?" The woman asked worriedly, Maria and her had been friends for a couple of years now but they didn't see each other often, Maria was a field agent and now was Fury's right hand and she was an engineer who hardly ever left her lab at SHIELD'S base, so their friendship was strong but long distance.

"I'm perfect, don't worry" Hill assured her "Anyway, The Avengers need a temporary handler and as much as I like his work, I think you would be better at this task"

"The Avengers?" Mags gasped "Maria, I can't do it, I barely leave the lab and I don't know how to handle people, less Tony Stark or Doctor Banner…" Maria rolled her eyes; Mags' rambling kept going for another five minutes before she decided it was enough.

"Agent Roux" The dark blonde stiffened, not used to being called agent "Actually, it's Doctor" She corrected.

"I know"

"Well then, use it"

Maria smiled, she missed having her friend around.

"Anyway, it's not really up to you, I spoke to Fury about it and he said yes so it's settled" Mags' face went blank "So congratulations, Agent Doctor Margaret Roux" The doctor let out a laugh "You are the new handler of the Avengers for a month or so, tomorrow there will be a meeting to present you to the team"

"And what about missions and that kind of stuff, don't get me wrong but since I left the academy I have been working in my lab, I've never been in the field" That really scared her, when she joined SHIELD when she was barely 19 years old, it never crossed her mind being a field agent, she just wanted to finish her studies, be the best on her field and do something to help the world.

"While we can never anticipate something so big happening, it's very unlikely because it has been more than a year since the last time the Avengers went into the field as a team, Romanoff, Barton and Rogers don't count, they work for us as agents too but only when the situation requires them which doesn't happen often"

"Oh… Okay"

"And you can work in your projects but your priority is The Avengers project" Mags nodded and Maria gave her a reassuring smile

"The meeting is tomorrow at 800" The brunette informed Mags and she sighed

"Holy shit, I'm fucked"

"Not literally"

"Maria!"

* * *

Mags stood up nervously, the meeting had started ten minutes ago and she could hear Fury shouting at Stark to be quiet and Romanoff's sighs.

_How the hell did I end up in this, I should be in my lab _She thought, shaking her head and sighing, the sound of heels stabbing the floor caught her attention, that could mean just one thing…

"Agent Roux, please come in" Maria said in her professional voice, the one she used with everyone in Shield but her, maybe with Director Fury and Agent Sitwell but that was it "Agent" Maria gave her a look and she walked into the room, like a robot.

"Wow, you bought a mini Iron Lady" The comment came from Stark, Obviously. Fury and Maria gave him a look but he didn't seem to mind, at all.

"Actually is Doctor Roux, Agent Hill, thank you very much" Mags gave Maria a look and mentally slapped herself, it was work, she was supposed to be professional, like Maria and Fury.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, my mistake" Maria answered with her usual blank face.

The room went quiet and Mags got even more nervous, everyone was staring at her.

_Say something, you idiot. _

"Uhm… Morning everyone, I'm Doctor Roux and as Commander Hill and Director Fury just told you I am going to be your new handler" She said, awkwardly. Romanoff arched an eyebrow at her and Barton chuckled.

_You really are an idiot_, a voice inside her head whispered.

"Seriously, I thought you were going to give us a more experienced Baby Sitter, to be honest" Tony said "How old are you?"

"Old enough to have a PhD" Mags answered without thinking, she wasn't going to let stark walk over her.

"Feisty, I like it" He smirked

Maria Hill had enough of this "Tomorrow she will begin to work at the Stark tower, she is going to send weekly reports to Director Fury. Your apartment is going to be ready tonight thanks to Miss Potts"

Mags let out a gasp, she didn't know about that and for how it looked, Tony didn't know either because he muttered "That traitor" under his breath.

Maria rolled her eyes and after a few more sentences the meeting quickly ended, all the Avengers left and when Mags walked out of the room she saw Bruce Banner looking at her, the woman gave him a shy smiled and he did the last thing she expected him to do, he smiled back at her.

* * *

"Why on earth didn't you tell me I was moving in?" Mags asked Maria as they put her things away in boxes, she wasn't going to pack all her stuff, the furniture would remain in the small apartment Shield provided her.

"It was a surprise" She answered, and her answer was a pillow thrown at her.

"What a nice surprise" Margaret said rolling her eyes while she folded one of the last T-shirts to be packed.

"How many books a person can have?" Maria spoke, securing another box full of box

"Never enough, less than enough when you have a PhD" Mags smirked.

"Oh, excuse me Mrs. Biomedic Engineer, I'm a lawyer, remember"

"Sorry I forgot, Commander Hill" They laughed as they finished closing boxes and sat on the ground.

"Do you want something to drink?" Mags asked.

"Please"


	2. Welcome to the Stark tower

**Hello lovely readers, I just want to said thanks to the people who followed this story and of course to the people who left reviews! I try to do my best as a writer and it just makes me so happy to write something you like.**

**All mistakes are mine, sorry. **

* * *

"We got your stuff earlier this morning and everything is in your apartment" Pepper spoke quickly as they walked to the elevator at the Stark tower with Mags following her, the agent was wearing a simple peplum black dress and short black heels that contrasted with her snowy skin and made her look paler and the constant pinkness of her cheeks didn't help either. "Your apartment has everything you need and Maria gave me a little bit of information so I could add a bit of color here and there, I hope it's okay with you"

"Are you joking? Miss Potts you didn't ha-" Mags' sentence was cut short by Pepper "It was not a big deal and since we are living in the same building you can call me Pepper, Agent Roux"

"Then you can call me Mags" She smiled at Pepper, who simply nodded.

"Okay, there is a kitchen in your apartment, obviously but you can always join us at the main kitchen at the penthouse, everyone eats there and you are more than welcome to be there"

"Thanks Pepper, I can't thank you enough"

"It's not a problem, you'll be staying here for a month while Maria is gone"

"Yes, It kinda feels like a small holiday because I have to make sure they are together as a team and assist them if they need it" Mags explained "It shouldn't be hard, we are talking about adults, not teenagers" She added and Pepper sighed before speaking.

"After New York everyone changed, but I'm going to ask you this as a favor, keep an eye on Bruce, he barely leaves the lab and it makes Tony and I worried" She explained and Mags nodded.

"I will"

The elevator stopped a few seconds after that conversation "This is your apartment" Pepper said standing next to a door "You just open it with your fingerprint here" She pointed a small fingertip reader on the wall, Mags opened the door and they walked into the apartment, the living room was plain white with black, modern leather sofas. There were book cases against the bigger wall and a small table in the middle of the living room, there was also a small kitchen with a counter that separated it from the living room.

"This is beautiful" Mags spoke after a minute of silence.

"I'm glad you like it, your neighbors are Bruce and Steve, on the next floor there is a gym and the labs are in the basement"

"Yes, about the labs, I used to work on a lab at SHIELD before Maria put here, is there any chance I'll be able to use the labs here? To work in my projects" She asked to Pepper who offered her a kind smile.

"I don't think there will be a problem, Doctor Jane Foster also works here with Darcy, her assistant and Tony and Bruce are always there but you'll have to ask Tony first, that his sanctuary and I don't want science stuff in my penthouse" Mags smirked and rolled her eyes at the last part of the sentence, of course she'll have to deal with Stark to do anything.

"I understand, don't worry, I won't break in with my projects without asking Tony first"

"Perfect" Pepper smirked too, she was liking this new agent. She looked at her beeping cellphone and rolled her eyes "I have to go back to work, I hope to see you at dinner. It's served at seven. Barton has to cook today so be ready for Pizza" And with that, Pepper left the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"Well then, I'll just have to keep myself busy until Dinner" She spoke to herself as she began to open boxes and put everything on its place, books first, then clothes and everything else.

"Hello Miss Roux, I am here to help you" A voice suddenly spoke, making Mags to jump a little

"You must be JARVIS" She spoke

"I am, I am always availed at your service and everyone else in the Stark Tower " The machine spoke with its thick british accent.

"Thank you JARVIS, I'll ask for your help when I need it" Mags said with a smile on her face as she put books on the book cases against the wall.

"Very well, Miss" And with that, Jarvis was gone.

After putting the books away, she walked into the bedroom, it was huge, with a king sized bed and a closet that was three times bigger than her old one

"I'll have to buy more clothes to fill this thing up" She muttered to herself with a smirk on her face.

After what seemed an hour, JARVIS spoke "Miss Potts wants to remind you that dinner is in five minutes"

Mags looked at her watch and realized that it was almost seven, she had spent the whole afternoon at her apartment practically doing nothing, after putting her belongings away, she just laid on bed reading a book and drifting to sleep.

"Thanks JARVIS, I'll be there in a second" She said as she sat up and put her shoes on.

When she walked into the elevator she was surprised to find doctor Banner in it "Good evening Doctor Banner" She greeted with a smile before pulling her hair into a messy bun.

"Good evening Agent…" He paused for a minute, trying to remember her name.

"Roux" She said "But call me Mags, I'll be staying here for a while so I don't think it's mandatory to be so formal"

"Okay" He nodded "Then I guess you should call me Bruce" Mags nodded and then silence fell on the elevator.

_Say something, don't be so awkward, god damn it._

"Does Clint always orders Pizza for dinner?" She asked, breaking the silence, Bruce looked at her, probably wondering why she knew that, Mags felt like he thought she was a creep "Pepper told me" She added and Bruce nodded.

"Of course she did and yes, every Wednesday we eat Pizza for dinner because Clint doesn't cook and he loves it, and tomorrow be ready for Thai because it's Natasha's turn" He added.

"Oh well, I'll have to hit the gym then with all that take out food" She said, laughing a little and running her hands down on her dress, even though it was perfectly ironed.

Bruce was about to say something when the doors opened and Mags spoke: "Lead the way, Bruce" She said with a smile, he smiled lightly back at her and walked out of the elevator, with Mags following him close behind.

"Oh look who's here" Tony said as they walked into the kitchen "Why are you dressed in black? Did somebody die?" He asked as Mags sat at the table next to Pepper.

"I'm glad you came here" The redhead said and Mags smiled.

"It's my pleasure. Evening everyone" She said to greet everyone.

"I hope you like extra cheese pizza" Barton said, leaving two pizza boxes on the table.

"Don't worry, I can take a few pieces like a champ" She said taking a piece from a box and putting it on her plate.

"So Margaret, tell us a little about yourself" Tony said before taking a bite of his slice of pizza.

"I thought you had read everything already, surprising, to be honest" She said, raising a brow at Tony.

"Actually, I did, I just thought you'd want to shake something with the class" He said shrugging, everyone rolled their eyes at him.

"Well, I guess you read that I'm a biomedic engineer an-" Her sentence was cut short by Tony

"Yup, first of your class, graduated with honors"

"Anyway, I would like to work at the lab, is there any problem with that?" She asked, already losing her short patience with Tony, Natasha looked at her with a smirk. They had known each other for years and many times Mags had stitched Nat's wounds at her lab in SHIELD and they have become friends, sort of.

"No, a science bro, or sister is always welcomed there" Tony said simply and Mags instantly relaxed "Thanks to Brucie over there we have many equipment to work with gamma energy and all that physics stuff and don't touch anything on my station" He warned.

"You work with gamma radiation" Bruce spoke and everyone was at least a bit surprised, he hardly ever spoke at Dinner.

"Yes, I mean, I'm not an expert with it but I worked to develop equipment to deal with it with a friend who has a PhD on physics. I also work a bit on robotics because I make medical equipment" She explained and Bruce nodded.

"Look those nerds, they are cute" Tony whispered to Pepper as Mags and Bruce talked about science, after that everyone became engaged on their own little conversations, Pepper discussing something about the company with Tony while Clint, Natasha and Steve talked about some new combat moves they have been practicing.

Around nine Mags decided she was too tired to keep talking about science.

"I'm sorry but I am so tired" She said to Bruce who gave her a smile "Good night everyone" She said and heard a few good nights from the team. "I'll see you tomorrow" She said before leaving the room and walking to the elevator.

Bruce yawned as soon as Mags left the room and rubbed his eyes

"Did you like her?" Natasha asked teasingly and caught Bruce out of the ward.

"She seems nice" He said simply before leaving the room.

"I think he liked her" Natasha commented to Clint and he nodded, while Stark had a mischievous grin on his face. He was going to have so much fun.


	3. Bad mornings

**Hello lovely readers, I hope you like this character. I am trying so hard to not sound so rusty because I'm really liking this story and I just want it to be perfect, you know! Reviews are always welcome, you know. I'm going to be honest with you, I love getting attention!**

* * *

It was almost five in the morning when JARVIS woke her up.

"Miss Roux, your presence has been requested by Mister Stark at the lab" The AI informed her and Mags rolled her eyes before getting out the bed.

"What in the mother fucking earth does he want?" She murmured quietly to herself as she walked out of her apartment still wearing pajamas, a pink sleeveless t-shirt and black, loose shorts with her glorious bed messy bun. With her eyes almost closed she walked into the elevator and didn't realize someone else entered just behind her. It was Bruce Banner.

"Hello Bruce" She said, yawning and rubbing her eyes

"Hi" He answered looking at a certain point of the ceiling of the elevator that seemed so interesting but Mags didn't notice it, she was too busy being half asleep but she did realize that he was still wearing the clothes he wore at dinner, glasses and shoes included "Tony woke you up too, I see"

"Yes, I hope someone is dying" She muttered and rubbed her eyes again "Why are you so… awake?" She asked after a few minutes of silence and Bruce looked at her surprised, apparently he was not expecting that question.

"I couldn't sleep and left the lab about an hour ago" He explained, the still half asleep agent patted him on the shoulder.

"You sir, are my hero" She said letting out a small laugh.

The elevator stopped at the lab and they walked out just to find Tony Stark almost jumping with excitement "I did it!" He kept yelling.

"What on earth have you done?" Mags asked, now she was more alert and couldn't decide if she was more angry at Tony for waking her up or curious about the marvelous thing Tony had done.

"I made this dummy" He said pointing at a robotic arm on the corner of the room "Pour me a cup of coffee! It finally worked and it was really…" Tony stopped speaking as soon as he realized that Mags was walking away to the elevator.

"Where are you going? I was in the middle of an expectacular explanation about my newest achievement!" He yelled at her. Mags walked into the elevator and turned to face Tony and Bruce.

"If you wake me up at this ungodly hour, I am going to kill you in your sleep, motherfucker" She said with a smirk on her face as the elevator's doors closed.

"Did you really made us go down here for that?" Bruce asked Tony crossing his arms on his chest.

"Yes, and maybe I just wanted to wake her up" He said with a laugh and patted Bruce on the shoulder "C'mon Brucie, it's time to go to bed" He said walking away to the other side of the room, where another elevator was ready for them.

It was past eight when Mags woke up again, feeling even more tired than three hours ago. The blonde got up and headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower that would definitively help her to wake up.

"JARVIS, can you please tell me about the Avengers whereabouts" She asked to the AI as she got dressed.

"Of course Miss Roux, everyone is up except Mister Stark and going very well with their daily routine" The AI informed her "Miss Romanoff is training with Mister Barton at the Gym, capitan Rogers is out of his daily run and Doctor Banner is down at the lab"

"Did Doctor Banner had breakfast?" She asked

"He did not, after Mister Stark woke you up he made himself coffee and headed straight into the lab afterwards"

"Thank you JARVIS"

"Anytime, Miss Roux"

Megs sighed before leaving her apartment, her hair was loose and she was wearing dark blue jeans and a short sleeve purple shirt with indian patterns.

"Where to, Miss Roux?" JARVIS asked as she walked into the elevator "To the kitchen, please"

The kitchen at the common floor was fully stocked with everyone someone could ever want to eat, from cookies to freshly baked pastries.

"Wow" She muttered to herself as she opened a counter fully stocked with cookies.

"Don't touch the poptarts, those are for Thor" A voice got her attention, it was a short young woman with brown wavy hair and red glasses "Darcy Lewis"

"Mags Roux" She said to her "Thanks for the warning"

"No problem" The brunette smiled at her "So, you are the new baby sitter?" She asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, that's me" Mags said with fake excitement as she made tea for Bruce and herself.

_He must be hungry _She thought and it was quickly followed by _Jesus, I'm a fucking baby sitter._

"So, you are Doctor Foster's assistant" Mags said before taking out two blueberry muffins

"Yup, I heard you'll be working at the Lab too so I guess we'll see more of each other often" Darcy said taking a sip of coffee.

"I guess, if I don't go to jail for murdering Stark in the next twelve hours" Mags said as she pulled out a tray from a counter after looking for it for a couple of minutes.

"He woke you up, didn't he?" Darcy smirked.

"Yes" Mags said rolling her eyes.

"He always does that, you should get used to it"

"Over my dead body and his"

"I think I can help you with the second thing"

"That sounds like a plan"

"You bet your sweet ass it does" They laughed and smirked, Mags said goodbye to Darcy and promised to meet for coffee after lunch to plan revenge on Tony who even had broken into Darcy's apartment and stole her bras.

The lab was huge, it had glass walls that divided everyone's stations and they were all connected to the main hall, she didn't remember that from earlier in the morning but then again, at that time she was barely walking.

All lights were off except from one station and she could see that Bruce was there, quietly but furiously typing something into his laptop. "Bruce?" She spoke softly, awa"I didn't know if you liked tea or coffee so I just made more of my tea, I hope it's alright" Mags explained and the ghost of a smile played on Bruce's lips.

"It's okay, I actually try to avoid coffee because its effects on blood pressure" Mags nodded, of course he did.

"Well then, I hit the jackpot" She said with a small laugh before taking a bite of her muffin, it tasted so good. "What are you working on?" She asked after a minute of silence.

"Oh that, it's nothing, I made a small study about an Asian herb that could have helped me with my problem" Mags nodded, by problem he meant the big green monster that literally lived under his skin "But it didn't give many results, the herb helps to calm people down, normal people and that's it. It's good for head aches though" He added.

"I need some then, because Tony is going to make my head ache soon, I feel it in my bones" She said, rolling her eyes. Bruce let out a small, quiet laugh.

"Did you travel to get samples of the herb?" Mags asked and Bruce nodded.

"My god, that must have been wonderful!" She exclaimed, too cheerful for her taste "Sorry, I just love traveling to new places"

"I have traveled a lot" He commented.

"I've heard so, the only big trip I've made was to India, I'm in love with that country" She commented before finishing the last pieces of her breakfast.

"It's a very… extreme country"

"I know, but its culture is so rich and I was just out of the academy so I just went here" She explained finishing her tea. "It was the best trip of my life, so far" She added with a smile. They sat in silence for a minute before Mags decided it was awkward enough.

"JARVIS?" She spoke up and the AI immediately answered, offering its services.

"Did Steve arrive from his morning run?" She asked Mags and after a second, JARVIS answered, telling her that he was in the main kitchen. Margaret thanked him and stood up.

"It was a lovely breakfast, but I have to help Steve with his adjustment to the twenty-first century" She explained before grabbing they tray but Bruce didn't let her.

"You brought me the first proper breakfast I've had in ages, I'll take this upstairs later" He gave her a small smile.

"Okay then, see you later" Mags said before leaving to the elevator.

"See you" He said back.

* * *

Spending most of the morning with Steve was not unpleasant, at all, he was willing to learn about technology and history after the accident but in a way that reminded her of her own grandmother, a little nervous and scared and really confused.

She decided to start with history, trying to avoid making Steve use a computer but not like a history class. She explained some of the most important events in history for their country, answering every doubt he had about it. He seemed very interested about the ways of the cold war so she promised him they would watch a documentary about it.

"Thanks for paying me attention, when I tried to teach someone about science they usually took a nap while I spoke" Mags said with a smile as she closed her notebook where she had taken notes about Steve and how well he took the information.

"It's no problem miss, I wanted to thank you" The soldier as he stood up and held his hand at her to help her stand up. Mags smiled at him but stood up by herself.

"It's okay Steve, you can call me Mags and it's just part of the job, I'm glad you liked it" She said before walking into the kitchen of the main floor, where they had spent their morning, and poured a glass of water to herself.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rogers asked as he walked into the kitchen and took an apple for himself.

"Sure"

"What does 'Mags' stand for?" He asked.

"Margaret but I really hate the name" She explained and Steve remained silent for a minute, like he did when she explained history to him, as if he was processing the information and absorbing it.

"I think it's a nice name" He said simply

"Thank you, you are the only one" She let out a small laugh before walking to the door of the kitchen "I'll see you at dinner"

"See you there, Mags"

* * *

After lunch, there wasn't much to do, all the avengers were busy with their own business so she ended up alone in the main lounge with her laptop on her legs and nothing to do.

She began reading her old work, her latest invention, with the help of her best friend and an army of SHIELD's scientists was a portable device that could monitor the subject vital sings, as well gamma radiation level and it sent all to the computer to study and compare all the results after a month. Bruce probably had no idea, but everything SHIELD had sent him to help him to control his problem. It was designed and made by her team and herself. She had another project in mind now, but it was quite challenge and she needed to do more research to make it work.

She felt someone behind her and she found it was Tony who was also reading the files. She quickly closed them and Tony snorted.

"You'd make a really shitty spy" Mags told her and Stark rolled his eyes

"And so would you"

"How much did you read?" Mags asked, closing her laptop.

"Enough, I've seen that thing, Bruce got that toy a month ago from SHIELD, it was a nice present" He said with a hint of irony on his voice.

"Did he find it useful?" Margaret asked, SHIELD never told her if she had actually helped doctor Banner, she just did her job and that was it.

"He did, he spends every night comparing the information sent by that little thing to the computer" Mags couldn't help but smile, pleased, at least she had done something right.

"Do you have any new projects?" Tony asked her

"Why do you ask?" Mags raised an eyebrow, she was not expecting that question from Tony.

"A science bro helps another one, always" He simply said with a shrug and that surprised Mags more, she never imagined that Stark actually cared about the Avengers in general, she always thought that they were just partners and that was it. "Don't look so surprised, I consider them my family, yes, even Nat" He added.

"When I'm done with my research I'll let you know, but remember that I work for SHIELD"

"That shouldn't be a problem"


	4. Party

**This is actually kind of a filler chapter, I feel bad for not posting in such a long time but school is sucking the life out of my body so please don't be mad at me.**

**Also happy halloween!**

**DISCLAMER: I don't own a thing**

* * *

By the end of her second week at the tower, with her report al ready sent to director Fury's e-mail, Mags was hanging around with most of the avengers on the main lounge.

They had set a small routine pretty quickly, Mags helped Steve in the morning after working out with Natasha, then all the women had lunch together and then Mags, Darcy and Jane went down to the lab to work at the same station while Bruce or Tony (usually Bruce) worked on theirs.

But after dinner, they didn't really do anything. Pepper was working as always, Tony was messing with his phone as Clint read a book quietly on the corner of the room while Darcy, Jane and Mags usually talked about their Works or their interests.

"You know" She spoke up, getting everyone's attention "When I lived alone I used to watch something after dinner… when I was at my apartment of course"

"I like the idea" Jane said "It would be nice to not think about work or anything"

"I second that" Darcy said and Mags looked at Tony with puppy eyes.

"Fine" He said with a sigh "What do you want to watch?"

"Game of thrones!" She said excitedly and Tony laughed at her before telling JARVIS to put the show on the huge thing Tony dared to call TV on the Wall of the lounge.

"Not another one" Pepper exclaimed with a sigh "He asked me if we could have a wolf as a pet" Tony gave Pepper a smirk before the first episode of the first season began to play and everyone dropped what they were doing just to watch it, as Mags and Tony fangirled over every character, except Joffrey, of course.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Mags went down to her apartment and after walking out of the elevator she found a very sleepy Bruce trying to open her apartment door instead of his.

"Bruce" Mags touched his shoulder and he jerked up, standing still "Bruce, this is my apartment" She said with a kind smile, everyone was aware that Bruce hadn't slept for over twenty four hours and everyone, including Pepper and Natasha, had tried to convince him to get some sleep but as always, everyone failed.

"Sorry" He apologized, his eyes closing without his consent and Mags couldn't help but roll her eyes a little, he might be a genius, but he was still a small child who needed to be taken care of.

"C'mon big buy, I'll let you have my couch" She said as she opened the door of her apartment and walked with Bruce, taking him by his wrist and leading his way.

"Thanks" He murmured before collapsing on the black leather couch and falling asleep instantly and Mags couldn't help but wonder if he was in a coma because he didn't even move and he should have, his neck was in a very odd position but Mags didn't have the guts to wake the beast up, instead she just threw a blanket on him and took his shoes out.

Banner, for once, looked calm and relaxed, probably because he was just sleeping while the big green beast did the same under his skin.

_It is shame_, Mags thought, _he could really use some peace and quiet._ And after brushing her teeth a putting an old t-shirt and black shorts, she went to bed.

* * *

The thing that awoke him was the pain on his neck.

After slowly opening his eyes, he realized he hadn't felt asleep in the lab, or his apartment. He had no idea where he was and his head and neck were killing him.

Then he heard her voice.

"Morning sweetheart" It was like a breath of fresh air after being in the desert for years, he glanced at the clock on his wrist, seven am and she still managed to look and sound like life was actually good "I bought us breakfast" He slowly sat up and looked at her, she was wearing pajamas and her hair was into a messy bun. He felt the cold floor on his feet and frowned.

"I took them off, don't worry" She smiled at him before handing him a big cup of cinnamon tea

"I actually don't remember a thing" He said as he rubbed his neck with one hand and took a sip of tea at the same time.

"Does not surprise me, I thought you died while I was asleep" She said rolling her eyes and sitting next to him

"Sorry about that"

"It's okay, but do not do that again, we were all worried about you"

"Steve is gone on a mission, so not everyone"

"You know what I mean"

"Sorry"

"It's okay" She smiled at him before taking a sip of her tea

"Tonight is the halloween party" Mags commented "Are you going?"

"I never go to parties, period" Bruce answered before taking a bite of a muffin

"Don't be so boring, even Maria is coming!" Mags said loudly and Bruce smiled, she was passionate about everything and it was often overwhelming.

"She always comes!" He replied

"Bullshit, she's been my friend longer than she's been your handler" Mags said crossing her arms over her chest, but not before eating a mouthful of a strawberry muffin.

"And what are you going to dress up?" Bruce asked and Mags smirked

"It's a surprise, if you want to find out, you should come to the party" She said, still smirking.

"Maybe I'll go" He finally said, and Mags clapped excitedly.

"Yaaaay" She quickly stood up and picked her cellphone from the kitchen counter

"What are you doing?" Bruce asked curiously

"I'm texting Tony, you need to get a costume, asap" She replied without taking her eyes off the phone "And if you dress up as a scientist, I swear I'll kill you" The dark blonde threatened as she pointed him, Bruce just sighed, he had signed for his death

* * *

"You look nice, man" Clint commented as Bruce looked at his reflection nervously. "If you were really a vampire, I would be all Bella Swam on you" He added, laughing along with Tony, while Steve looked at them confused.

"I didn't get that reference" He said, making Tony and Clint laugh louder, making the embarrassment crawl up on his cheeks, making them pink.

"It's a movie for teenage girls, a human girls falls like an idiot for a shining vampire" Bruce explained and Steve nodded in understatement. The super soldier was wearing a Superman costume because Tony threatened to take him to disneyland if he wore his suit again.

"What are the girls even dressing up as?" Bruce asked to Tony, who was dressed up as a king with a huge metallic crown with fake rubies.

"I have no idea" He replied "All I know is that they hired a make up artist" He added and Thor looked around confused

"Why should the ladies wear make up?" He asked "Lady Jane didn't tell me that"

"Because when they tried to come as a group, you had already enchanted your lady with clothes from Asgard" Tony replied and Thor, who was wearing his asgardian armor.

"They never had done that before" Steve said "They never take halloween too seriously"

"It was Mags" Bruce said "She even got me to dress up, that woman has superpowers because she convinces everyone to do what she wants" He said, sitting on the couch next to Clint, Tony let out a snort.

"Please, we've all seen you around her" Clint said "When she leaves the room, you look like a lost puppy"

"I second that" Steve said and Bruce's cheeks got red.

"Why are you saying Bruce is a lost puppy? He is all human, look at him!" Thor spoke too loud

"Because when Mags is not around he looks like his old self"

"Come on, give me a break" Bruce said with exasperation

"Whatever man, we should get moving" Clint said, standing up, wearing a gladiator costume.

"Yep, I'm the host, I'm supposed to not be late" Tony said and everyone left the penthouse slowly, it was a slow ride to the Ritz.

* * *

Every who was important was there, politicians, Ceos, models, think of someone important, he or she was probably dancing and drinking somewhere at the party.

But Pepper, Maria, Natasha, Mags, Jane and Darcy where nowhere to be found and Bruce was ready to leave, he was bored and everyone was drinking and let's be honest, he only had come for her.

"Look at that" Clint stopped eating a pumpkin cupcake and Bruce turned to see, there was Jane and Darcy, wearing asgardian dresses that made them look out of this planet.

"Holy shit" Tony and Steve were next to them, there were the girls, as the four horsemen of the apocalypse, or horsewoman.

"Now I know why the make up artist" Steve said.

Maria was wearing a long black dress, with a silver necklace, her chest and arms were painted like an skeleton, as well her face, she was death.

Natasha was next, her fiery red hair in waves, wearing a red knee length dress along with a belt with knifes, and a gun on her hand, her skin was painted with red scratches everywhere, she was war.

Pepper wasn't wearing her usual strawberry red hair, she was wearing a light blonde wig, almost white and dark red long dress, her face, chest and arms were painted to made her look sickly thin, her collarbones were painted to look as if they were going to stick out of her skin, all of her bones. She was famine.

And then there was Mags, with a long purple dress, her face was painted in green and yellow, like the color of the skin of those deadly ill, and her chest and arms were painted like she was sick with with leprosy, as well her neck. She was pestilence.

Thor, Jane and Darcy stood next to Tony, Steve, Bruce and Clint.

"It was well worth the wait, huh?" Darcy with a smirk and the guys just nodded.

"What do you guys think?" Asked Mags

"You look amazing" Bruce said as everyone scattered around, Steve curiously having a glass of champagne with Maria, Natasha and Clint were talking in the corner of the room, Tony and Pepper were next to the cake, where Tony was making Pepper eat because she was so godman thin.

Thor and Jane were dancing, and Darcy was scoring with a guy dressed as batman.

"Thanks, you too" Mags smiled "A vampire, uh?"

"It was very last minute, next year it'll be better, I promise" He said and Mags smiled at him.

"If I didn't know this is a costume, I'd be really worried" Bruce said, touching her cheek lightly.

"Don't touch me, you will die" She said with a laugh

"I'm already dead, so it's okay" They shared a laugh.

"Do you want to dance?" Mags asked after a moment of silence, that surprised Bruce, he hadn't expected her to ask her that

"Uhm sure" He said as she took his wrist and dragged him to the dance floor.

They had been dancing a slow song when Mags spoke.

"Why don't you sleep?" Mags asked and felt Bruce getting tense

"I don't... like sleeping"

"Nightmares?"

"What do you even know about them?" He said, a bit too harsh. Mags stopped dancing and looked at him, a bit hurt.

"Enough to use sleeping pills, thank you" She said, her eyes glassy. "I think I'll... go back to the tower" And with that, she turned and began walking away

"Mags wait!" He ran after her, grabbing her wrist "I didn't know, I'm sorry, I'm an asshole" He apologized

"Yes, you are" She paused and took a deep breath "But I forgive you" She smiled at him

"Do you want to eat something? I'm starving" Bruce asked with a smile

"Yes, please" Mags smiled widely at him, he was really getting to know her.

* * *

** fc00. deviantart fs71/i/2012/184/0/2/the_four_horsemen_of_the_apocalypse_by_pancake_mix-d55vbqn. jpg for reference of the girl's make up **


	5. Sunday, the day off

**Here is another charapter for the Story, sorry for not posting in such a long time but school sucks, you know?**

**Also, I would like to thank everyone who has followed and added to their favorite list the story, it fills my heart with joy knowing you like the thing that I write.**

**But a little more reviews wouldn't hurt! I want to know what you think of the story because I write for you! Opinions are always very welcome!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"So… how was last your hookup after the party?" Mags asked Darcy "Did you score or not?" Pepper choked on her coffee and let out a laugh as Jane looked a bit embarrassed while Maria and Natasha rolled her eyes together. After the Halloween party, during the work days they barely had time to catch up, so on her third Sunday on the tower they were sharing breakfast at Mag's apartment.

"Not so great actually, the guy was an asshole" She admitted, and Mags sighed "But it was a fun way to end Halloween, he had a bowl full of snickers so I stole them when I left" They laughed.

"At least it ended up sweet" Maria commented as she took a sip of coffee, last night her and Mags had a small movie night and she stayed at the blonde's apartment.

"Did you sleep with Bruce?" Surprisingly, Jane was the one who asked, trying to control the redness of her cheeks. Mags choked with a cookie and everyone laughed at her "We all saw how close you were"

"I didn't even kiss him" She said, after clearing her throat "And I wouldn't because… he is not my type"

"And what's your type?" Pepper asked.

"The fuck them and leave" Maria answered for Mags and the dark blonde gave her thumps up

"I don't… do feelings. I picture Bruce as the ' let's cuddle after sex' type of guy. It would break his pretty little heart and I don't do that" Mags explained simply "I like players because it's like we're on the same page of the book"

"How considerate you are" Darcy mocked and messed Mag's hair.

"I know, I deserve an award" Mags drank a sip of coffee "I have a question"

"Ask away" Pepper said, a smirk on her lips, in such a short time they had built a very close relationship.

"When is Tasha going to admit that she and Clint are dating… or at least sleeping together?" Natasha pulled her blank face at Mags

"Hey, it's a valid question because I was wondering the same but I actually appreciate my head on my neck" Darcy added and Jane nodded, agreeing with her "Come on Natasha, answer please and we will never ask again"

"We promise" Mags added, making a puppy face

"We may or may not be together" Natasha answered and took a sip of coffee "That all you are going to get"

"Fair enough" Maria said with a sigh "What are you guys going to do today?"

"We don't go down to the lab on Sundays but there are some people" Jane began to explain

"AKA Tony and Bruce" Mags interrupted Jane

"Who go and we check on them to make sure they hadn't blown up something"

"I turn off my phone on Sundays" Pepper added

"We should go to a spa or something" Mags suggested "Because raise your hand if your head didn't feel like it was being stabbed this week and I'll give you a cupcake" No one raised her hand "I realized that babysitting grown up men is actually stressing"

"Tell me about it" Pepper said.

"So, it's settled, Spa day" Natasha said

"I'll call the driver, be ready in thirty minutes" Pepper said as everyone got up and started to leave

"See you in half an hour" Mags shouted before running to her bedroom and Natasha, the last one to leave, closed the door.

* * *

It was almost midday when Bruce woke up, his head hurt for sleeping in, not being used to have more than five hours of sleep because Mags literally kicked his ass out of the lab early and put him to bed like he was an infant.

After taking a shower and dressing, he made himself a mug of tea and walked out of his apartment, to his surprise, there was no music coming from Mag's, which was weird considering it was Sunday. Walking in front of her door he found a pink post it on it and he immediately rolled his eyes, that just so… Mags.

_I'm out for the day, you better eat something or I'll make you suffer, Mags _

He sighed, being honest with himself, it was weird not having her around, especially on the lab because they worked late and even if they didn't talk, she always listened to must and her humming kept him company, made him feel less alone.

"Mister Bruce, Mr. Stark requests your presence on the penthouse" JARVIS voice startled him.

"Thank you JARVIS, tell him I'll be there in a second" He answered as he got in the closest elevator and pressed the last button of floors.

It was a quiet ride to be honest, he took a sip of his tea and stared at the numbers on a small screen in the wall of the elevator, with each floor he found himself getting annoyed by the silence on the tower, for being someone who sent months isolated from the world, he was used to being around people.

"Oh, there you are Brucie" Tony greeted him as the elevator's doors opened

"Good morning to you too" He smiled weakly as he walked to take a seat on a couch, Clint and Steve where there too.

"Where is everyone else?" He asked

"Thor left early this morning, some Asgard thing" Clint replied as he took a sip of coffee

"And I have no idea where the girls are" Tony pipped in before he could ask.

"We know" Steve and Clint said simultaneously, Bruce raised an eyebrow at them and Tony rolled his eyes.

"They are on a spa day" Steve explained.

"Maria told you that?" Tony smirked

"Maybe" He replied.

"So we got today all for ourselves?" Tony asked to the rest of the guys, they looked at him with arched eyebrows, he was too excited.

"What do you have in mind?" Clint asked

"I feel like it's not going to be a good idea" Bruce commented

"I second that" Steve added

"Don't be afraid, comrades" He spoke as he went to the bar and pulled out a box of cards and bags with green, red and blue tokens, after that, he took three bottles of scotch. "Shall we?" He asked with a smirk.

"Oh, why the hell not?" Clint said getting up and taking a glass of scotch that Tony poured for him. "C'mon guys, loosen your tie, have some fun, we won't tell anyone"

"Who are you going to tell, mom?" Bruce asked, ironically, a bit nervous at the idea of drinking because he hadn't done that since the accident, afraid it might trigger an incident with the hulk.

"Mags, for an example" Tony said, Bruce and Steve shared a glance, they felt like they were between the sword and the wall.

"Fine" Steve said and got up, he couldn't get drunk anyway, it wasn't going to kill him have some alcohol.

"Come on Bruce, don't be a party ruiner!" Tony encouraged him as he drank a sip of his glass "From a science bro to another, relax man!" He said and Bruce sighed as he got up.

"The stuff you make do" He said before taking a small sip of scotch, it burned his throat and made him cringe a bit while the Clint and Tony cheered.

While Tony's music played softly, they spent the entire afternoon playing poker and drinking scotch on Pepper's new table.

"Pepper is going to kill you" Bruce commented while taking a look at his cards, he was so screwed in this game.

"We'll just find you dead in the bathtub tomorrow" Steve added and they shared a laugh

"Bruce, I have a question" Clint raised his hand, like a kid who knew the answer to a very hard question in class.

"Ask away"

"Did you and Mags fuck after the party?" He choked on his own saliva

"Looks like you caught him off guard" Tony commented, taking a sip of scotch.

"No, we are… friends" He answered the question, the word friends tasting a bit bitter on his mouth and not even the sip of scotch could make the taste go away.

"You look like you want more" Steve commented

"I thought you were on my side" Bruce shot him a glance and sighed "I've known her for a little while but I feel like we've met before and being honest, it's weird not having her around" He confessed.

"I find that easy to understand, you don't fall in love in two or three weeks, It feels like she's been here longer though" Steve said.

"Speaking from experience?" Tony asked "We know you sneaked out with Death at the Party"

"I use my right to remain silent" Steve replied, taking a sip of scotch as his cheeks got red.

"I knew her before she came here" Clint commented "Her father, or step father I think, was Tasha's S.O"

"Tell us more about that!" Tony said and everyone looked at Clint, waiting for more.

"I don't know much more, His name was Robert Grant" He added "And I saw her at the academy, she was like a freaking baby, well, a baby with a PhD, of course"

"She doesn't talk about her family" Bruce said, stating the obvious.

"Thank you, captain obvious" Tony said "Well, but that's something we'll discuss later, now Brucie, we are sure you are attracted to her, at least physically"

"I didn't say that!"

"So you don't find her hot" Tony kept pushing and Steve's cheeks got pinker.

"Actually, I don't" Bruce said firmly "Because I don't like to objectify her"

"So you find her pretty, beautiful, stunning" Clint kept speaking and Bruce's cheeks got pink.

"You could say so" He finally said "And I'm not admitting nothing else"

"Take a shot for saying that" Bruce obeyed Tony and emptied the glass.

"I think he looks at her the way you look at Natasha" Steve commented, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh, the golden boy has showed his fangs" Tony cheered

"What do you want me to say? Tasha and I are dating? We're not teenagers"

"You are deeper than that, then" Bruce said.

"What happens in Budapest, stays in Budapest" Bruce smirked; satisfied with himself, at the mention of Budapest everyone knew they were doomed to not know. "You guys know nothing!"

"I understood that reference!" Steve said happily and everyone laughed.

"Now let's got back to me taking all your money away" Tony said and everyone went back to the game and drinking, of course.

* * *

"We needed this day off" Maria said as they were on the elevator to the penthouse after spending all day away. "What time is it? Ten PM?

"Yup" Mags answered.

"Thank you for cheering me up too, it's hard when Thor leaves" Jane said, a truly grateful smile on her face.

"Oh gurl, what friends are for?" Smiled Darcy "Now what shall we do?"

"I know how to make killer Margaritas" Pepper commented.

"Oh god, yes!" Mags said excitedly "I know how to make daiquiris and weird drinks, we can share recipes"

"I'm in for that" Natasha said "Remember when you made the peach princess with gummies?"

"How could I forget?" Maria said ironically

"I'll remember you two that I almost fucked up a really important sample thanks to that headache, thanks god I had my assistant there"

"This shall be fun" Darcy said clapping as the elevator's door opened but the first thing that hit them was the smell of alcohol, scotch to be specific.

"Oh Tony, for fucks sake" Pepper muttered under her breath, the group walked into the penthouse, to find the Hawkeye sleeping on the couch while Tony slept on the table and Bruce on the floor.

"Oh, Good evening, Ladies" Steve greeted them, fresh a lettuce, mentally thanking the serum for making him tolerate all kinds of alcohol.

"What the hell happened here?" Mags asked, crossing her arms over her chest while Maria shot him a questioning glance.

"I think that's obvious" Darcy muttered.

"Oh my God, are you drooling on our new hardwood table?" Pepper said angrily at Tony, poking him on the rib, trying to wake him up.

"Steve, are they dead?" Mags asked "Because if they are, Fury is going to have my ass on a silver platter" She added

"Just pretty drunk, I think" Natasha added, standing in front of Clint, who was peacefully sleeping on the couch "At least this one is breathing"

"Oh, for fucks sake, I thought I wasn't going to do this again, ever" Mags sighed and kneeled next to Bruce, at least he was breathing. "This one is too, Pepper, is Tony dead?"

"Not dead, maybe comatose"

"I can work with that" Mags said as she began to pat lightly on Bruce's cheeks, Pepper on the other hand threw a glass of ice-cold water at Tony who let out a scream as he woke up.

"God damn it, woman, was that necessary?"

Darcy and Jane looked at each other, those were not their battles to fight.

"See you tomorrow guys" They said at the same time before leaving.

"Bye!" Mags replied. She looked at Natasha, she grabbed Clint by his leg and pushed him, making him fall on the floor and hitting his head.

"Morning sweetheart" The redhead murmured and shot him a deadly glance.

"What? Can't a guy have some fun" Clint said angrily, rubbing his head.

"I think… I'll just leave, see you soon" Maria said, trying to escape the battle field

"I'll walk you to the door" Steve said with a smile and pink cheeks.

_God, he is so obvious_, Maria thought before they left, and since Jane and Darcy took the elevator they had to take the stairs, not that they minded.

"Guys, he isn't waking him" Mags said, still patting Bruce's cheeks lightly.

"He's sleeping beauty, kiss him and the curse will break" Tony shouted as he walked with Pepper to the master bedroom.

"He's still half drunk, don't listen to him" Pepper reassured Mags before closing the door of the master bedroom.

"I think we should just wake the beast up" Natasha said, Clint by her side following her like a lost puppy.

"So I just throw water at him?" Clint and Natasha nodded and she sighed, walking over to the kitchen to pour a glass of water.

"This is so like the catching fire" She muttered under her breath "Let's hope he doesn't try to stab me or turn into the fucking Hulk"

"Any last words?" Natasha asked with a smirk

"Tell my sister that I leave her my collection of cosmo magazines" Natasha nodded, dead serious. Mags counted until three in her mind before pouring the entire glass on Bruce's face.

"I'M AWAKE, I'M AWAKE!" The said man shouted and sat up abruptly.

"Shut up, you scared me to death" Mags said angrily "I highly recommend you to get your ass off the floor and get out of my sight, now" Bruce looked at Natasha and Clint, Mags was really angry, dangerously angry.

"I was talking about now" Her arms crossed over her chest and Bruce got up in a matter of seconds, all the alcohol flew away from his system with the look on Mags' eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'll see you guys tomorrow" Bruce said as he ran off the elevator.

"Are you alright?" Natasha asked Mags, she looked hurt and scared

"Nope, I'm fine, I just suddenly felt really tired" Both Clint and Natasha knew that she was lying but decided to leave her alone "I'll just go to grab something to eat before going to bed, go ahead" She smiled at them as she got up and went to the kitchen, looking for something sweet to eat.

* * *

It was almost five in the morning when Bruce woke up, thirstier than ever. As he walked to his kitchen to get a glass of water he thought he heard something from Mag's apartment, but it wasn't music.

It was her crying.


	6. Truth

**hello everyone, sorry for the delay but guess who graduated from highschool? me! Anyway, i'll try to update as soon as I can, remember to leave a review**

* * *

By Wednesday Bruce began to get really worried, Mags hadn't said a Word to him, besides the political correct words, like Good morning or Good night. She still made him eat lunch and breakfast, but it was a message on a post it note stuck on his door or his computer down the lab and he, trying to not get even more on her bad list, ate and did whatever the note said. Everyone was aware of the sudden change of their relationship; it was hard to ignore, what used to be conversations during spare time ended up being silent treatment from Mags and feeling awkward for Bruce. She wouldn't talk to him during dinner and there was this silence in the room that couldn't be filled by everyone else's conversations, or at least Bruce felt that way. After dinner she would still go the living room with everyone else, with an old copy of the _Great Gastby_ between her hands.

It exasperated Bruce not knowing what to do because to be honest, he hadn't expected her to be so mad at him for getting drunk, and having to wake him up, it didn't seem proper of her. But then he remembered the crying at night (Because he had been going to bed early to not piss her off even more) and knew there was something more, something deeper.

He knew that her month as their handler was about to end, that was something he didn't want to talk about, she would be gone, probably forever, and if he didn't speak with her soon, she'd be gone and hurt and angry at him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of JARVIS, who got everyone's attention, well, it was just Natasha who was watching TV, Mags, who was reading, Darcy, who didn't even let go of her phone and himself.

"Mister Stark is calling" The AI informed

"Put him on the line" Mags finally said, letting out a sigh. "What do you want Tony?"

"Hey sweetcheeks" The blonde rolled her eyes "Can you come to Stark Enterprises in an hour?"

"Why would I do that?" Mags asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because I'm asking you nicely" On the other side of the line, Pepper's voice could be heard reprimanding Tony "And because a machine from the improvement department is broken and you are the only one who can fix it"

"Don't you have your own engineers" Mags raised an eyebrow

"They are seven years older than you and twenty time less smart" He replied "Do this as a favor, pretty please"

"Ugh fine" Mags said, sighing.

"Perfect, also, bring the guy with anger management issues with you"

"I'll go too, Tony" Bruce said with an eye roll

"Great, the car will be outside of the tower in an hour"

"Tony, it's like three blocks away, I can walk…" Bur her voice was cut short, by Bruce.

"So do I"

"See?" Mags said

"I don't care, bye" And Tony hung the phone.

"That man is going to drive me nuts" Mags commented

"If Pepper is still sane, you'll be fine" Nat reassured

"Wanna join?" Darcy a Natasha looked at each other before giving an actual answer "I'll make you some reaaaally good drinks this Saturday" Mags had a puppy eyes and Bruce's heart almost melted, maybe it would have if those eyes were directed at him.

"Since there'll be alcohol involved" Natasha stated "We'll go"

"Yay!" Mags said happily "I'm going to change clothes or I'll freeze to death, see ya" And with that, Mags lest the penthouse, running to the elevator.

"You really need to fix things up" Darcy was the first one to talk "She has a meeting with Fury this Friday to see what'll happens next month, which is the next week, by the way"

"And then she'll be gone" Natasha added

"So Fix things up" Darcy repeated

"I tried but she just ignores me"

" .up" Natasha said, in her agent-of-shield-face, the one that made everyone want to cry for their mothers, including Bruce.

"I'll try, I will, I promise" Bruce said, his face a bit paler.

"Good, if you excuse me" Natasha stood up and left the penthouse; Darcy looked at him and shrugged.

"I'm going to raid the kitchen, see ya" And then Bruce was alone with his thoughts again.

* * *

New York was pretty cold these days, everyone was wearing coats or jackets and boots, while Natasha always was wearing heals, Mags and Darcy were wearing comfy shoes.

Natasha and Darcy were talking about something, Mags was messing with her phone and Bruce stared out of the window, after less than two minutes, they were outside of the huge and new building of Stark Inc.

"This car ride was so not necessary" Mags said, rolling her eyes "I hope it's something seriously wrong with the Machine"

The Stark enterprises building was bigger than the Avengers tower and it was two blocks away from it for Pepper's comfort, they were greeted by a secretary who told them that Mr. Stark was on the 20th floor, waiting for them, Biological research.

"That sounds like my kind of fun" Mags said with a smile as they hopped into the closest elevator, the Avengers tower had two, this building had four.

"Aren't you an engineer?" Darcy asked "Well, I'm the one who has a major in politic science being the assistant of an Astrophysics genius" He added, rolling her eyes.

"I am, a biomedic one so I know physics, chemistry and biology, plus, I have a master on biochemistry, so the only thing that's is a bit behind is my knowledge in physics"

"That sounds, like Bruce's area, you could team up" Darcy, innocently suggested.

"Got that covered, my best friend has her PhD on Physics" She simply replied, without looking at Bruce, making him feel very awkward.

Before they even realized it, they were on the 20th, the doors opened and being greeted by Tony and a man in blue coat "You are finally here!" He explained.

"Dr. Roux, this intern will show you the way" Tony pointed at said intern

"Hello, Mister…" Mags read his nametag "Williams, lead the way please" She smiled at him

"But you need a lab coat first" The intern reminded her, Tony was about to say something when Mags cut him off.

"It's okay, I bought mine" She said, opening her purse and taking a white, carefully folded lab coat, she gave her jacket to Darcy as she put it on before pulling her hair on a messy bun "There, let's go" She said, as the intern began to walk and she followed him.

"Great, I'm just a human coat hanger" Darcy rolled her eyes

"Pepper is at her office" Tony commented.

"Let's go" Natasha said, grabbing Darcy by the wrist and dragging her back into the elevator, the CEO's office was on the top floor.

"Now, what did you want to show me?" Bruce asked Tony

"Come on love bird, I've got some cool new toys in the Physics department" He said, walking into the elevator and Bruce followed him silently.

* * *

An hour later, Bruce and Tony were walking into Peppers office, but through the glass walls they saw that Mags was nowhere to be seen

"Where's Mags?" Bruce asked after greeting Pepper.

"She should be here in like five minutes" Darcy answered Bruce's question and after a few seconds the elevator's doors opened and it was Mags, being followed by a tall guy in a black suit. They looked at each other for a second before walking out of the door.

"Mags, you said you'd call me and I'm still waiting" The guy said, getting too close to Mags, Bruce was the first one to get moving, behind of him Natasha while Pepper was calling security but before they could do Anything, the guy tried to kiss Mags and her response was a solid punch of the face.

"Ugh! As if!" She exclaimed, punching the guy away and throwing him to the floor "Does people have forgotten what 'one night stand' means? Jesus" She said, caressing her knuckles. After a few seconds two guards came and took the guy off the floor and dragged him with them back to the elevator.

"Mags, are you alright?" Bruce asked timidly, utterly worried, feeling the beast roar inside of him.

"Fine" She replied, but for the first time in days, she gave him a small smile before Darcy and Pepper ran and hugged her, asking if she was alright and dragging her to Pepper's office to check on her hands.

"What were you going to do?" Natasha asked after she was sure Mags couldn't hear "Hulk out?"

"Maybe, the guy deserved it" He simply said before walking into Pepper's office along with Tony, Natasha behind them.

"I hate when people get attached too" Darcy commented with a smirk after making sure Mags was alright, her knuckles were going to be bruised because the last time she punched someone was in the Academy, but besides that, she was going to be fine.

"See? That's why we can't have nice things!" She said, rolling her eyes and making everyone laugh.

* * *

It was almost three in the morning and Bruce was on his sixth cup of tea, his station was the only one with the lights on, but then the elevator's doors opened and Mags walked out, wearing pink cotton pajama pants and a black t-shirt with her laptop clutched to her chest and a mug of coffee on her hand.

She looked… tired, and she silently sat on the new station that Tony gave her, right next to Bruce's (Yes, because he wanted the love birds close).

He wanted to say something, but everyone word would sound stupid outside of his head, she sighed and he, in an impulse of bravery, or maybe idiocy, walked into her cubicle.

"Hey Mags" He greeted softly, she took her eyes away from the screen just for a second to look at him, and then her eyes were fixed on the laptop again.

"Hey" She simply replied.

"How are you?" He asked, feeling stupid because he didn't really know what else to say.

"I'm fine" She said simply, but after a few seconds "And you?"

"Just fine" Bruce replied "Are you still mad at me?" Bruce asked timidly, Mags looked at him silently for a few seconds and left her laptop on her desk.

"Yes" She replied simply "I never thought you'd get drunk the only day I leave this tower"

"It was just a fun day with the rest of the guys, everyone else was drunk" He explained, he didn't get why she was so angry at him, but still talked and joked around with Tony and Clint.

"So if the guys jump off a window, you will too?" Mags looked so calm, it was terrifying.

"I wouldn't!" He said quickly, it felt like his mother was giving him a lecture for getting drunk with his underage friends at a Party. "Why are you so angry at me? Clint and Tony got drunk too but you only don't talk to me!" He was getting angry, the beast woke up and Bruce tried to keep his temper down, anyone else would have tried to calm him down, but not Mags, no, she was pushing him to the breaking point, challenging him.

"Because…!" Her voice disappeared for a few seconds "Because you wouldn't wake up! I knew you hadn't drunk in years and you didn't wake up for minutes" She said quietly, her eyes watering. "And I'd never thought that would happen to me ever again, Bruce" She said quietly, not looking at him.

"What are you talking about?" He was utterly confused.

"I just…" And a tear rolled down her cheek "Because it was you, and you wouldn't wake up and all I could think about while trying to not look like I was about to have a break down was not this again, not this again" Her voice wasn't firm, it was shaking. He had never seen her so vulnerable.

"Hey Mags, take a breath" He said softly, taking her by her hand and sitting on the floor, side by side.

"I don't know if I told you, I left for college when I was fifteen" He nodded, she had mentioned last week "Well, I was two day trip away from home and alone, and very scared so I met someone" She paused, a small smile creeping on her lips "His name was John, he was eighteen and he was so perfect, I fell for him instantly" She took a deep breath "We had been dating like four months? I think and I moved into his apartment, my parents didn't know I was even with him, less that I moved out of my apartment near campus with him" She took a deep breath "And everything was like your teenage girl fairytale until he began to go out took much and I was taking so many classes to get my major early and start with the PhD as soon as possible that I never joined him and we were alright with his outings, until he began to come home drunk" She paused "Actually, I correct myself, it wasn't my home, to the house drunk" Bruce took her hands in his and gave it a light squeeze, encouraging her to continue "And it was just that for the first six months, but then he began to come to the apartment high on cocaine and god knows what other shit"

_Take a deep breath, breathe_ Mags thought before continuing without looking at Bruce.

"And I was the one who woke him up before class, praying to God he wasn't dead because what my life would be without him, he was so kind and sweet when he was sober but it didn't happen often by that time, and I still woke him up in the morning, cleaned his mess and poured him a cup of coffee before leaving for classes… I was a scared teenage girl, I didn't know what to do, he was getting worse every day, and the day of my sixteenth birthday everything went to shit, he returned from a party, drunk and high and beat the life out of me, and you know what?"

Bruce looked at her and caressed his cheek.

"I still woke him up and cleaned his mess the next morning" She smiled bitterly "I was so stupid, my God, it was about a year of relationship when I couldn't take it any longer, I wanted to end it but I couldn't, I needed him, I thought I needed him to live to be honest" More tears, she felt so embarrassed of herself, but at the same time it felt good telling everything to someone.

"My friend's cousin was on med school and he was the one who checked on my wounds and everything, until one day I came to the apartment after classes and when I walked in there was my step father, sitting on the couch reading a magazine" He dried her tears with his thump "And I wasn't wearing make-up because it was late and Patrick had cleaned a few cuts on my forehead and he just looked at me, stood up and hugged me and…" She couldn't resist any longer and let out a sob.

"I left John, and moved back to my apartment and my stepfather stayed with me for a month to make sure I was alright and then after summer, when I came back from my house, someone told me he had died, and I felt like it was my fault, I left him to die" She said with a sob.

"So that was why I was so mad at you, because looking at you lying on the flood without waking up and all I could feel where his eyes on the back of my neck, judging me"

Bruce looked at her for a second before pulling her into a hug, her face on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Mags" He said softly, caressing her cheek "If I had known better I would have never done it" He apologized, hugging her tighter.

"I know" She whispered "I'm sorry for being mad at you, it was stupid"

"No, It wasn't, you were worried about me, you still made me eat lunch and get decent hours for me" He squeezed her in his arms "You are the only person who takes care of me, except for Tony and Pepper, and not because you are our handler, you do it because you want to"

"You really know how to make me feel like a good person" She smiled at him, eyes red and puffy from crying and lack of sleep.

"Because you are a good person" He smiled at her, resisting the urge to kiss her temple.

"Oh, shut up" Mags let out a small laugh

"There, you are back, I hated your silent treatment"

"I'll keep that in mind" She said with a laugh.

"Oh god, no, please" Bruce said, laughing too.

"What time is it?" Mags asked "I couldn't sleep, that's why I came down here"

"And I thought it was just to talk to me"

Mags looked at him for a couple of seconds "You've been spending too much time with Tony"

"I agree" Bruce said laughing, he checked on his wrist watch "It's almost four in the morning"

"Ugh, I have a meeting with Fury in four hours, fuck my life" She complained.

"If he asks you to stay, will you stay?" Bruce asked, hoping she would say yes.

"Yes, I promise I'll stay" Mags replied and squeezed his hand a little, to reassure him.

"Well then, It's time to get some sleep" Bruce said, yawning.

"But I don't want to" She complained, Bruce simply stood up and picked her on his arms, as if she was a bag of potatoes.

"Really?" Mags asked, looking at the floor "I can pull your pants down if I wanted"

"I think I'll take the risk" He said with a chuckle as he walked into the elevator.

They were silent most of the time, until Mags spoke "Hey Bruce?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for listening"

"Anytime"


End file.
